The Second Adventure
by Lady Loyal of Narnia
Summary: This is the newly revised and completed edition of The Prince. Basically, what would happen if the Pevensies had a little extra help in Prince Caspian?
1. Chapter 1

_**This is the new version of**_ **The Prince** _ **, which is the sequel to**_ **The First Adventure** _ **. This version of the story is completely edited and finished. I hope you enjoy it. Please review and let me know how I did!**_

 **Disclaimer: I don't own Narnia or her characters. I own only those parts of the plot that don't appear in either the books or the movies, and my OC's, especially Alexa.**

 _ **Oh, and before I forget: Most of the scenery is from the movie. Most of everything else is from the books.**_

"Alexa, are you sure you don't want to come to Anna's party?" my roommate called.

"I'm sure!" I called back. "I have some stuff I need to take care of tonight. You go have fun."

"Ok. See you tomorrow!" she yelled as she left.

I sighed in relief. Finally, I was home alone. It was a Friday night, and both of my college roommates were out at different parties. I had decided to stay home because I needed to make sure I was ready. Tomorrow would be the one-year anniversary of my return from Narnia, and I was hoping that Susan's Horn would call me back to the country I'd grown to love so much, just like it did with the Pevensies a year after they'd returned from Narnia the first time. I'd reread Prince Caspian over and over again so that I knew what would most likely happen if I joined the Pevensies on their journey to the Stone Table. I'd decided to pack some things to help, and pray that Aslan allowed me to take my bag with me. I had found a large backpack and packed it full of stuff that I thought would help. It held several plastic bags, two flashlights, matches, a pocketknife, two thick picnic blankets, and as many water bottles as would fit. I also had a slightly smaller backpack with me, and I'd filled that one with several kinds of snacks (nuts, crackers, cheese, etc.). I got dressed in a pair of jean shorts, a light pink t-shirt with a purple butterfly on the front, and a pair of flip-flips. I braided my hair and put on a pair of sunglasses before grabbing a pair of twin daggers that I'd gotten from a renaissance fair. I'd had them custom made, and they were as close to the daggers Father Christmas had given me as I could get them. I strapped them to my belt, and then made sure I had on my two most important pieces of jewelry. The golden necklace around my neck had a pendant in the shape of a lion, to remind me of Aslan and Narnia. Two rings also hung from the necklace. One was a silver ring with a diamond in the middle, with a small sapphire on either side. This was my engagement ring from Brandon. The other ring was golden with the Narnian crest engraved on top. This was the ring that Aslan had given to me as a symbol of my status as the Royal Advisor of Narnia. The ring on my left hand was a simple silver band. This was my actual wedding ring from Brandon. I never took it or my necklace off. I wore the wedding band in place of the gold purity ring that my father had given me on my 13th birthday. I'd given that ring to my youngest daughter, Abigail, on her 10th birthday.

With my packing done, the next thing on my list was to stretch. I went through all of my normal stretches to make sure I was still nice and limber. When I'd originally returned from Narnia, I'd made it a priority to get my body into shape. I'd signed up for fencing and archery classes, and joined an equestrian club. I'd even found a place that would teach me how to use my daggers properly. My mind remembered all of my Narnian training, but my body didn't, and so I'd had to retrain it. Now, a year later, my body was in shape, and I'd learned a few new tricks that I hadn't been taught in Narnia.

Once I finished stretching, I went to get some dinner. I finished eating rather quickly, and then went to go read my Bible and pray for a bit on the couch. I had a good devotion for about half an hour before I started getting tired. Excited, I grabbed my bags, lay down on the couch, and closed my eyes. Seconds later, I was asleep.

I woke to the sounds of laughter, children running, and waves crashing on the beach. I smiled as the voices of the children awoke memories. Carefully, I stood and swung my backpack onto my back before grabbing my other bag and racing towards the voices. The smile on my face spread into a grin that threatened to split my face in half, but I didn't care.

"Peter! Susan! Edmund! Lucy!" I yelled as soon as I saw them. They were playing in the surf of the ocean, but as soon as they heard me, they looked in my direction. Lucy realized who I was first. Her grin became almost as wide as mine as she raced toward me with her siblings close behind. I grabbed my littlest royal sister and spun her around, laughing in joy. I had just set her down when the rest of them reached me. Hugs were exchanged all around, amid laughter and brilliant smiles. Eventually, we calmed down enough to start asking each other about our lives since the last time we'd seen each other. They told me about their year, and boarding school, and dealing with losing Narnia. I told them about college and life on my own. Once we'd caught up, we just sat and chatted for a while, talking about random things until Edmund made a remark about being thirsty. I grinned and opened one of my bags. I pulled out a water bottle and handed it to him. He drank as I passed out a water bottle to each of my other siblings. I'd just opened mine and was about to take a drink when Edmund, who was looking up, at some nearby cliffs spoke.

"Do any of you remember ruins in Narnia?"

We all shook our heads, and he pointed up at the nearest cliff. "Then what's that?"

We looked up to see what he was talking about. Sure enough, there were ruins on the cliff. I smiled at my family.

"Anyone want to explore?" I asked.

I got smiles and nods in response, and so we all stood and started walking in the direction of the cliff. It was easy to get up to the ruins, as there was a very overgrown, clearly marked, wide path, like an old road, leading up. When we got to the top, the first thing we noticed were the trees. It looked like it used to be an orchard, but eventually, it grew wild. The majority of the trees had different kinds of apples hanging in the branches, but I noticed a few other kinds of fruits in a few spots. We wandered through the orchard. On the other side of the trees, we found a gate that was crumbling, but open. We went through it carefully, avoiding the debris. Once through, we split up to go exploring. I had no need to explore, due to the fact that I knew exactly what these ruins used to be, but I did need to go check something, and so I made my way over to the well that still stood by the ruins of the stables. Susan ambled after me, while Lucy headed in the direction of where our rooms used to be. Peter wandered toward the training yard and armory, and Edmund wandered the courtyard, examining different things.

I reached the well rather quickly and immediately started to look for the loose stone in the wall of the well. Brandon had found it about a year after we'd gotten married, and together the two of us had made a decent hiding spot behind it. Only the two of us knew about it, and I suspected that he would have put something there for me. I was right. Inside the secret space was a small box. I pulled it out and put the loose stone back into its spot just as Susan arrived. As she started wandering around, I opened the box. Inside was an old, rusted key that I recognized immediately as the key to the Royal Vault. I grinned and slipped the key into my pocket just as Susan picked up something small and golden. I stood and walked over to her, and she showed me the golden chess piece that she'd found. It was shaped line a centaur, and was missing one ruby eye. Neither of us really knew what to do with it, and so we headed towards the courtyard, hoping that the others would eventually head there as well. We found Edmund already there, examining a huge boulder that was sitting in the grass. Lucy entered the courtyard seconds after Susan and me. I wandered over to talk to her, and Susan went to show Edmund the chess piece. Lucy and I talked about what the ruins could have been as we wandered into the remains of the throne room. Lucy recognized something about the place, as she only barely managed to finish her sentence to me before cutting off the conversation entirely. I looked on in part amusement and part nostalgia as she went over to the exact spot where her throne used to sit. I walked over to the spot where I used to stand and simply stood there, waiting for her to connect the dots. A moment later, she gasped and raced out of the ruined room, presumably to get her siblings. Within the next five minutes, Lucy had managed to get all of her siblings to stand on the spots where their thrones had once stood, and was trying to get them to realize where they were. I watched their faces, looking for the moment when they realized that we were in the ruins of our beloved Cair Paravel. It was easy to spot. Peter and Susan both looked shocked and confused. Edmund, on the other hand, looked mad. The moment he realized that this was our home, he raced toward the courtyard. The rest of us followed him, and found him examining the boulder. As we approached, he looked up with an expression of pure anger.

"Catapults," he announced.

There was silence for a moment.

"What?" Lucy finally asked.

"Cair Paravel wouldn't have just crumbled like this." Edmund pointed to the boulder. "It was attacked."

I dug into my pocket as the others digested this new piece of information. "If this is Cair Paravel," I said, bringing out the key, "Then I think I know what this will open."

Peter, Edmund, and Lucy grinned, while Susan nodded. I felt a smile forming on my own face as I turned and walked toward the hidden door to the Vault.

When we arrived, we found a wall covered in ivy. Carefully, I pulled some of the vines away to reveal a rotting wooden door. Peter and Edmund pulled pocketknives out of their pockets and opened the blades to begin cutting away the ivy. I opened my backpack and pulled out my pocketknife, the flashlights, and a box of matches. I handed one flashlight to Lucy, and then put the other flashlight and the box of matches in my pocket. Setting my bags on the ground, I opened my small pocketknife and walked over to help the boys. Just as I arrived, Peter's knife broke. Without a word, I handed him mine, and drew one of the knives hanging from my belt. As soon as we were done cutting the ivy, I grabbed the key and put it in the rusted lock, praying it would still work. I turned it, and by some miracle, the lock worked just enough to open the door. I pulled out my flashlight and turned it on just as Edmund and Lucy did the same. I got through the door first and carefully made my way down the stairs. As soon as I was off the stairs, I headed over to where I knew we used to store the lamps. I found the shelf easily, but most of the lamps had fallen and broken or were out of oil. I managed to find four of them that would still work, though, so I carried those over to the nearest flat surface and lit them with the matches in my pocket. By this time, the others were exploring some and reliving memories. When Peter saw the lit lanterns, he came over to grab one, and Susan did the same. I stuck my flashlight in my pocket and grabbed the other two lamps. Since it looked like everyone was headed to the back of the Vault, where our personal storage trunks were, I followed them. Carefully, I set the two lamps I was carrying in holders near the trunks, and then I pulled out my flashlight and headed over to my own trunk.

Our personal trunks were all set into niches in the walls. Each trunk had a statue of the owner behind it, which had been made by the local sculptor a few months before we left Narnia. Each statue was wearing the owner's crown and weapons, and for the girls, their favorite jewelry. Each trunk was large and had the owner's name and title carved into the lid. My niche was a little different. There were two trunks, side by side, and behind them stood two statues, holding hands. My statue was wearing my silver circlet, with my bow and quiver hanging over my stone shoulder and the daggers I'd received from Father Christmas hanging from the statue's waist. My favorite charm bracelet was on one stone wrist. It had been a gift from my kids. Every charm stood for a member of my family, including my parents and sister from the other world. On my statue's left stood Brandon's statue. The stone figure of my husband wore his wedding ring, and had Brandon's two favorite swords sheathed in an x on his back. The sculptor had done a magnificent job with Brandon. The statue looked so much like my husband that I would have thought he was real, had he not been completely gray. The statue even sported Brandon's smile, and it made me want to cry, because I knew I wouldn't see Brandon again until I went to Aslan's Country.

Before I realized what was happening, I'd moved around the trunks until I stood right in front of Brandon's statue. I stared at him with tears forming in my eyes as I unconsciously raised one trembling hand to touch his cheek. Before my fingers could make contact with the stone, I stopped myself. As I lowered my hand, I also lowered my gaze. As I did so, I caught sight of Brandon's silver wedding ring again. Before I could stop myself, I'd taken it off of Brandon's stone hand. I held it tightly in my hand as I walked quickly back to the front of my trunk and carefully opened the lid. The first thing I saw was a familiar black bag. That bag had been given to me by Father Christmas right before the Battle of Beruna. It had held my book of pictures, and I'd used it many, many times while I lived in Narnia. I'd always suspected it might have some magical properties, as more than once, I'd used it to hold more than it should have logically been able to hold, but no matter what I put in it, it never felt heavy. I carefully picked it up, halfway expecting it to fall apart in my hands. Logically, it should have, considering that it had been sitting there for a thousand years. Instead, it looked and felt brand new. I set it on the ground and started to carefully pull things out. Once I'd pulled out everything, I began to examine it all, starting with a piece of parchment I'd found near the top of the bag. Everything looked almost new, although I knew for a fact that it was all over a thousand years old. The parchment was a note from Brandon. In it, he told me everything he'd done after my siblings and I left. He'd read the journal I'd written everything I remembered about Earth in, and he'd tried to prepare for us, to help as much as he could, but there wasn't a lot he could do, since there would be a thousand year wait. He'd packed a bag for each of us, with things we might need, and he'd added a few new types of trees to the orchard we'd planted the year before we left, among other things.

Setting the note down, I began to go through everything he'd packed for me. The first thing I picked up was a jewelry box. Opening it, I found a note from Brandon, where he explained that the necklace was supposed to be my Christmas present the year I left. I carefully took the necklace out, and examined it. It had a long silver chain, the perfect length to hide under my shirt. Hanging from the chain was a silver cross pendant, and on the place where the two beams of the cross intersected, rested a golden lion's head. It was beautiful. I smiled as I opened the clasp and threaded the chain through Brandon's wedding ring before placing the necklace around my neck and tucking it under my shirt.

With the smallest unknown item taken care of, I turned to the next one. This one was about the size of a shoebox, and when I opened it, I found neatly stacked scrolls and parchments. Curious, I opened one of the top ones and started reading. I only got a few sentences in before I had to put it down. It was a letter from Brandon to me, written on Christmas the year I left. I didn't dare to read it all, because I knew if I did, I was going to start weeping, and then I'd be useless for hours. I set the box aside and picked up the next item, which happened to be my book from Father Christmas. I set it aside almost immediately, not wanting to get into it right now. I'd look at it later.

Next, I turned to see what clothes my husband had packed for me. I laid it all out and found two black pairs of breeches, a pair of black lace-up boots, a gold belt, a silver belt, a black belt, a plain green tunic, a navy blue tunic with silver embroidery on the hems and collar, and a Narnia red tunic with golden embroidery all over the front. I also found a purple dress with silver embroidery. I was happy to see that the dress was one of the ones I'd designed for fighting.

Back when I'd first arrived in Narnia, General Oreius had ordered me to begin learning how to fight while I was wearing a dress, so that I'd be prepared if I ever needed to fight while wearing one. I learned very quickly that dresses were NOT good for fighting in, and so I'd gone to the seamstresses and had them help me design a dress that I could fight in. Basically, all of my dresses (even the fancy ones) were made so that the skirt was detachable. I simply wore breeches or capris (which I had to teach the seamstresses how to make) and boots or flats underneath my dress, and that way, I could fight when I had to. It worked rather well.

I picked up the green tunic, a pair of breeches, the black belt, and the boots and stepped inside my niche to change where the boys couldn't see me. Once I was done, I went to see what weapons my husband had left for me. I grinned as I realized he'd packed all of the knives I'd accumulated while in Narnia. I quickly picked out my favorites and put them in their proper places. I took the daggers I'd gotten from the other world and placed them in my backpack, before turning back to the few things I still needed to go through. There weren't very many. He'd put a bedroll, a small pillow, and a couple of blankets in the bag for me, as well as my favorite cloak, and some armor.

I packed everything back in the bag, making sure to keep the bedroll, pillow, blankets, box of letters, and my book on top so that I could get to them easily. That done, I went over to my statue and carefully took the bracelet off the statue and fastened it around my wrist. Then, I carefully lifted my circlet off the statue and placed it on my own head before grabbing my daggers from where they hung and placing them on my belt. I grabbed my bow and quiver as well. The string had long since disintegrated, but the bow and arrows were surprisingly still in good shape, and I was pretty sure I could find a new string if I needed it.

I glanced over to see how my siblings were doing, and realized they were all still going through stuff. I decided that I could be more useful in setting up camp instead of helping them go through stuff, and so I grabbed my bag and headed up to the ruins of the courtyard. I started by choosing a nice, flat place without too many rocks and laid out the picnic blankets I'd brought. I laid out my bedroll, pillow, and blankets, and then started gathering rocks to make a ring for the campfire. I was just about to go find some firewood when Edmund came up with Lucy right behind him. I helped them set out their own bedrolls, and by the time that was done, Peter and Susan could be heard coming toward us. I sent Lucy and Edmund for firewood, and then helped Susan and Peter set out their things. By the time that was done, Edmund and Lucy had collected a nice sized pile of wood.

"Alright," I said, getting the others' attention, "We need to talk." Peter and Susan nodded, and I continued. "But first, I think we should go see if there's any good fruit in the orchard."

The others agreed, and so, after I grabbed the plastic bags I'd brought, we all trooped out to the old orchard. Once there, we spread out to go see what we could find. I headed straight for the place where I thought I'd seen energy fruit trees. Peter and Edmund raced each other to the other end of the orchard, and the girls headed for the apple trees.

We spent a couple hours in the orchard, picking fruit. I gathered a full bag of energy fruit, and filled another bag with more energy fruit, and some oranges. Once I finished, I wandered through the orchard toward the gate. I found Lucy along the way, and we ambled on together. Susan was already there when we got to the crumbling stone structure, and the boys could be heard laughing and headed toward us. We waited for them, and once they arrived (breathless from running, and laughing uncontrollably), we headed back to the courtyard. I headed for my backpack and started pulling out water and snacks while the others sat down. We passed around different fruit and snacks, and then started talking while we ate. We talked about what Brandon had left for each of us in our trunks, and why Cair Paravel would be attacked, and why we would be called back a thousand years after we left. The conversation lasted for a few hours, and by the time we'd finished, it was getting dark. Edmund lit the fire, and then we all retreated to our own thoughts. I pulled out the box of letters and my book and sat down next to the fire to read. About an hour after the others had fallen asleep, I finally put everything down and curled up on my bedroll. I still had half of the letters to go through, but I knew that if I didn't stop now, I wouldn't stop at all.


	2. Chapter 2

The next morning, I was awoken by the sun shining in my face. I groaned and rolled over to avoid it. As soon as I did, though, another annoyance made itself known in the form of my two brothers poking me. I tried to avoid them, but no matter how I moved, they followed me. Finally, I opened my eyes a tiny bit and glared at them.

"Go away," I ordered them. Peter grinned at me and laughed, and I thought I saw a hint of a smile on Ed's grumpy face.

"We've been up for two hours already, Alexa," Peter told me cheerfully.

"If I have to be up, so do you," Edmund said grumpily as he glared at his brother.

"Good for you, Pete," I said sleepily. "You can go back to bed, Eddie."

Closing my eyes, I rolled over and got comfortable. A moment later, I felt Peter start poking me again, and Edmund was glaring at me. I sighed and sat up.

"You know I hate that nickname," Edmund growled.

I stuck my tongue out at him. "Then don't wake me up. Besides, it fits you now. The last time I saw you, you were thirty-seven, and had long outgrown the name. Now, can I go back to sleep?"

Edmund glared at me and set a hand on his sword hilt. I saw it and raised an eyebrow.

"Ed, do you really want to do that?" I asked, suddenly a bit more awake.

Peter interrupted before Edmund could answer. "Alexa, you're half asleep. You're more likely to injure yourself than you are to beat him."

The blond was trying not to laugh, and failing. I glared at him, and then smiled evilly.

"Try me." I told him.

He grinned and unsheathed his sword. I stood and stretched before unsheathing my Narnian daggers, which I'd strapped to my arms before I went to bed. Without warning, I lunged at Peter, who blocked. For the next few minutes, we sparred, being careful to stay away from the fire and the bedrolls. I managed to beat Peter, but only because I used a move he'd never seen before. Of course, it didn't help that Edmund decided to jump in midway through our deadly dance. He was still half-asleep (although that didn't make him any less dangerous), and so it was easy to knock him out of the fight. Once I beat Peter, I turned to Edmund, who did the smart thing. The moment he saw my glare directed at him, he turned and ran. I charged after him, with our siblings racing after me, either to stop me or to cheer me on.

I finally caught up to my brat of a brother on the beach in front of the smallest part of the channel separating the island we were on from the mainland. He was staring out over the water, and completely ignoring the danger I currently presented to him. I knew that Edmund was smart enough, even when he was half asleep, to not ignore me when I was after him, so I paused in my pursuit of him and looked in the same direction as he was looking.

By the time my siblings caught up to us, I'd forgotten about the annoyances that my brothers were, and was staring out at the little boat that was coming toward us. As the boat got closer, it became obvious that it wasn't friendly. We watched as the boat came to a stop not far from us. The two soldiers in it looked nervous as they picked something up from the bottom of the boat. It took me a second to realize that the thing they picked up was actually a dwarf. At that point, several things happened at once. Susan stepped forward with her bow in hand. In one smooth, quick movement, she nocked an arrow, aimed, and shot. The arrow landed on the top edge of the boat, and scared the soldiers so badly that they dropped the dwarf back into the boat. Susan nocked another arrow, but by that point, the soldiers had seen us and jumped overboard in fear. Quickly, the boys took off their boots and swords and waded into the water to grab the boat. Once the boat was secure on the beach, I helped them transfer the bound dwarf from the boat to the beach. I carefully cut his bonds, and helped him stand. He looked at the five of us in carefully concealed fear as he demanded to know who we were. I exchanged a look with Peter, and then stepped forward slightly.

"May I introduce High King Peter, Queen Susan, King Edmund, and Queen Lucy?" I said formally, following the protocol for introducing royalty. Once that was done, I smiled. "And I'm Alexa. What's your name?"

The dwarf, who now looked confused, shocked, skeptical, and suspicious, hesitantly introduced himself as Trumpkin, and then accused us of being ghosts. I rolled my eyes at the dwarf, and my family just looked confused and a little shocked. After a moment, Edmund grinned his mischievous grin and leaned over to whisper something in Peter's ear. Peter argued with him for a moment, but then acquiesced and looked at me. We had a silent, second-long conversation about Edmund's idea. I rolled my eyes at Ed when Peter was done telling me the plan, and the dark-haired boy grinned at me. I turned to the dwarf.

"Are you hungry, Trumpkin? We have some food back at camp."

The dwarf hesitated for a moment before nodding. I turned and led everyone back to our camp. The short walk was silent, and slightly weird, at least for me. My siblings weren't usually quiet. Once we reached the camp, I set out breakfast, and everyone silently ate. I was done first, and quietly excused myself. I made my way to the Vault, and headed for the part where I knew we used to keep swords. They were right where I expected them to be, and, to my surprise, I even managed to find several that were still in good condition. I grabbed a few of them and headed back to the others.

Trumpkin was rather surprised when I showed up with three different dwarf-sized swords, but once I explained that we were going to hold a little contest with him and prove that we were actually real, he loved the idea. He tried all three of the swords I held and found the one that fit him best, and then followed me as I led him to a nice, flat space to spar in. My siblings followed Trumpkin and me, and when we arrived, Peter and Edmund stopped next to me.

"Alright Trumpkin, you can choose who you'd like your opponent to be. Me, Peter, or Edmund?"

The dwarf looked at us all critically for a moment, and then pointed to Edmund.

"Him, if you don't mind."

Edmund shook his head and drew his sword as Peter and I stepped back so that we were standing with our sisters. The sparring match that followed was short, but good. Trumpkin was an expert swordsman, and it showed. As for Edmund, the only explanation that I had was that the Narnian air was refreshing his memory, because he was using moves that I knew he hadn't remembered how to do this morning. Within a few minutes, Ed had disarmed the dwarf, who looked surprised when it happened. Nevertheless, he was a good sport about it. Next, we offered to let him try an archery contest against Susan. They shot at an apple hanging from one of the tallest orchard trees. Susan won, of course, but Trumpkin came awfully close. After that, he was convinced that we weren't ghosts. With that over, we headed back to camp and sat down. Trumpkin told us what was happening in Narnia, and why he was there. The news wasn't good. He told us of Caspian and the situation at Aslan's How and how the Horn had been blown. It didn't take us long to figure out that the Horn was the reason we were back. Quickly, we decided that we needed to get to the How so that we could help fix the situation, as that was what we believed we were called back to help with.

As soon as the decision was reached, Edmund stood and started talking.

"Alright, everyone, we need to move quickly. Peter, why don't you take Trumpkin to the Vault and get him some armor and weapons. I'll take care of the fire. Susan, make sure we've got enough food for a couple of days, at least. Lucy, you and Alexa can pack up everything."

Everyone nodded and went to go do their tasks. Once one task had been completed, that person either found something else to do, or went to ask Peter or Edmund. Within an hour, all but one thing had been completed. With packed bags on our backs, we all headed down into the Vault to make sure we had everything.

Trumpkin stood and watched as we all headed to our respective trunks. I double-checked that there was nothing else I needed in my trunk. Once I was sure I didn't need to pack anything, I made sure that I was ready. My circlet was on my head, my charm bracelet was around my wrist, my daggers were all in their places, and my necklaces were around my neck. I was ready. I turned to my siblings, who were either already waiting, or closing their trunks. All four of them were wearing their crowns, and the girls had grabbed their favorite jewelry from their statues. I noticed that all four of them had changed into Narnian clothes, and that someone had found Trumpkin some armor and a Dwarf-sized bow and quiver. Everyone looked like they were ready, so I led the way out of the Vault. We headed down to the boat, where everyone but my brothers climbed in. The boys pushed us off, and then climbed in themselves. Susan and I took the first turn at rowing, with the boys eventually taking over. Susan and I gave took several more turns rowing when the boys would get tired.

Eventually, we beached the boat and began to hike through the woods, as Peter remembered the easiest way to the Stone Table, which was now called Aslan's How. Within the first few hours of being in the woods, we came across a bear. We had to kill it, as it was threatening us, and the boys and Trumpkin skinned it and packed the meat into the plastic bags that I'd brought. We hiked through the forest until it started to get dark. Lucy found a snug little cave, and that's where we made our camp for the night.

 _ **I don't own Narnia.**_

 _ **Please review!**_


	3. Chapter 3

The next day, we ate breakfast and broke camp. We'd only hiked for about an hour before we came to a huge ravine. Peter and Trumpkin started to argue about getting to Aslan's How as Edmund looked down at the river far below us and Susan sat down on a nearby rock. Lucy and I stood at the edge of the ravine, looking at the other side. Peter and Trumpkin finally came to a solution as to which way to go, and so Lucy and I turned to leave. As we did so, I caught a small glimpse of gold on the other side of the ravine. Lucy gasped and grinned as she turned to me.

"Aslan," she whispered. Turning to the others, she yelled, "I saw Aslan! He's on the other side! He wants us to follow him!"

The others were skeptical. I'd caught a glimpse of him, so I believed her, and so did Edmund, but Peter, Susan, and Trumpkin refused to. I knew what happened at this point in the books, but I also knew that this time, things could be different, simply because I was here to help. Turning to Peter, I spoke.

"Lucy says she saw Aslan, and I believe her, especially since I saw a glimpse of him too. She's always been right about him, hasn't she? So why would you think she's wrong this time? I'll go with her to follow Aslan," I held up my hand to stop any protests before they could begin. "You know that I can protect her. How often did I save your lives when you four ruled? Not only that, but Aslan won't let anything harm us, and you know it."

Peter sighed but nodded. Edmund looked thoughtful for a moment, but then he spoke up.

"I'll go with them. It will make the groups even, and it will make you and Su feel better, Pete. This way, everyone will be safe."

I nodded, and Peter didn't look like he was happy with this arrangement, but he accepted it.

Kneeling, I took off my backpack and motioned for the others to do the same. They did, and I spent a few minutes rearranging the supplies in the backpacks so that both groups would have enough. Once that was done, I stood and slung my backpack onto my back before heading over to give Susan a hug.

"Take care of them, ok?" I asked quietly.

She nodded, and I smiled at her before heading over to Peter. I gave him a hug too, and then I pulled back so I could see his face.

"Aslan help me, if I find out that you got into trouble and you need the cordial, I will bring it to you, and then I'll come up with a punishment so bad you'll wish you were fighting a hundred of our worst enemies at once with no weapon or shield and one hand tied behind your back. Do you understand me?"

He nodded, and I saw a flash of amusement in his eyes. I gave him another hug.

"Keep safe," I whispered in his ear," because I don't think any of us would be able to handle it if you got yourself mortally wounded when we weren't there to stop it."

"I know," he whispered. "I promise I'll try to keep out of trouble."

I smiled and pulled away, turning to Trumpkin next. He looked slightly afraid of me.

"Trumpkin, listen carefully," I began. "I'm entrusting my brother and sister to your care. If I have to come after them, you do not want to know what I will do."

He nodded, a hint of fear in his eyes.

I smiled at him. "Good. Thank you, Trumpkin."

I started to turn away, but he put his hand on my arm.

"Here," he said, holding something out to me. I took it. It was a silver ring with engravings on both sides. I looked at him curiously.

"This will let any guards you come across know that I sent you."

I nodded. "Thank you, Trumpkin."

He smiled, and I turned to Lucy and Edmund.

"Are you ready?" I asked. They nodded.

"Then let's go," I said. They turned to head off, while I turned back to Peter, Susan and Trumpkin.

"We'll leave a trail for you with the old clues, just in case. You remember what to look for?" Peter nodded and I continued. "Good. Remember to keep an eye out for Aslan, and please try to keep out of trouble."

Peter rolled his eyes at the repeated admonishment. "You know trouble tends to find me," he said with a small smile.

"I know that all too well," I sighed. "Just try not to find it on your own, ok?"

He nodded and I smiled at the three of them as they turned and walked away. I waited until they were out of sight before I turned and headed off after Lucy and Edmund. It didn't take long for us to find a way down into the ravine. There was a path that had previously been hidden, and we simply followed it. I made sure to do as I promised and leave clues for the other group. We'd come up with a set of clues when we'd lived here for those inevitable situations where one of us was captured. This set consisted of a bunch of things that would seem normal to anyone who didn't know the code. Enemies would think they were natural things like a little scratch on a tree trunk, while allies would know how to read them and follow the trail. Edmund helped me, while Lucy simply kept an eye out for Aslan. We all had our weapons close to hand, but we were also in a good mood, laughing and talking quietly. Occasionally we talked about something serious, but it was usually joking around with each other or remembering when we'd been here last. Lucy led us without any hesitation. Occasionally I saw a glimpse of gold ahead of us, and it reassured me. Edmund started seeing them too, a couple hours after we'd split off from the other group. Aslan let us catch up to him as it got dark, and we had a happy reunion with him. We were going to eat more from our food stores, but the Lion stopped us. Instead, he called for someone named Bacchus, and had him provide food and drink for us. We celebrated that night, and Lucy, Edmund, and I fell asleep against Aslan's side.

The next morning, Aslan's purr woke us. We could feel it from where we lay, and it drew us out of a deep sleep. It was nice, and judging from the expressions Lucy and Edmund had, I wasn't the only one who felt well-rested. Edmund didn't even look grumpy, which was incredibly unusual for him. He was always grumpy in the morning, and it only got slightly better after his morning coffee. He usually wasn't completely awake until about noon, unless he was fighting, in which case the adrenaline woke him up. I was only slightly better, as I managed to be fully awake starting around 10 am.

Aslan waited until we stood before he got up. He stretched as we grabbed our things and ate a quick breakfast, since Bacchus and his group had left at some point while we slept. Aslan waited only long enough for me to swing my backpack onto my back before he started off. Lucy, Edmund and I followed. Today the Lion let us walk beside him, and the four of us talked about many things. We laughed and had a good time. We didn't get hungry or tired, and it was with surprise that we noticed that we'd reached our destination a couple hours after midday. We stopped at the edge of the forest and looked at Aslan. He smiled a Cat's smile at us and nodded.

"Go in, Son of Adam and Daughters of Eve. They are waiting for you," he said in his deep, rich, golden voice.

"Aslan," Lucy said, "Aren't you coming with us?"

The Lion shook his head. "Not right now, child. The time is not right."

Lucy nodded. She gave Aslan a hug and buried her hands and face in his golden mane, and then she withdrew and turned toward the hill that now housed the Stone Table. Edmund gave the Lion a hug and then bowed before he joined his sister. I turned to Aslan and buried my face in his mane.

"Fear not, Dear One," he whispered to me. "I am always with you. You know this."

I nodded, my face still in his silky, gloriously soft mane.

"I know, Aslan, I know." I took a deep breath and gave the Lion a big hug, and then I let go. I gave him a proper Narnian curtsy, and then I turned to join my littlest brother and sister. Together, we walked toward the hill. Just before we left the shelter of the trees, I remembered something and stopped them. I quickly unzipped my backpack and withdrew two crowns and a circlet. We'd stored the precious headpieces during our hike down the ravine. I handed the crowns to their proper owners, and then I put my circlet on. We quickly made the proper adjustments to each others headpieces so that they were on straight, and then we walked out into the open. Guards stopped us a bowshot away from the entrance.

"Who are you? Why are you here?"

I looked to Edmund and Lucy, silently telling them that I would take care of this. They nodded imperceptibly, something that only I saw. I turned back to the guards, two Black Dwarfs.

"We were sent by Trumpkin the Dwarf." I handed them the ring Trumpkin had given to me.

The guards had a quick conversation with each other, and then one of them handed the ring back to me.

"Be welcome, friends." I smiled at them and started to walk past them, only to stop when I remembered that I had no idea where we could find Caspian.

"Good Dwarves, could you tell us where to find the Prince?"

The Dwarves exchanged another few sentences before one turned to me.

"I'll lead you to him," he said gruffly. I smiled at him, and he turned and walked inside.

Edmund, Lucy, and I followed him inside, where we were immediately met with the sounds of many blacksmiths working at many different forges. We followed our guide through that particular bit of chaos, and then through several more tunnels, all of which had murals covering the walls. I caught several glimpses of things I recognized, but I didn't dare to stop and look, as the Dwarf leading us was moving rather fast, and I didn't want to get lost. The Dwarf finally stopped in front of a room. He gestured for us to enter, and then he bowed and left. Edmund, Lucy, and I looked at each other and had a quick, silent conversation about who was going first. I won the argument, so I made sure my circlet was on properly, and then I gripped my daggers – making sure they were hidden – and entered.

 _ **I don't own Narnia.**_

 _ **Please review!**_


	4. Chapter 4

I walked into the middle of an argument between an old, short man, a Badger, and a Black Dwarf. A boy of about 13 sat nearby, looking bored and confused. No one saw me at first, and so I took the chance to look around the room. It was a big, round room, with the broken Stone Table in the middle. One of the pieces was flat, and was being used as a actual table, with one lantern sitting on top. The lantern was quite bright, and lit up a good portion of the room. Besides the boy and the arguing men, I could see two cloaked figures standing in the shadows.

Just as I turned my attention back to the debaters, the boy noticed me. He jumped up, unsheathing a sword as he did so.

"Who are you, and why are you here?" he demanded.

I smiled slightly and made a slight hand signal that I knew Edmund would see as I curtsied. The three who had been arguing looked over at me as I answered.

"I'm Alexa," I said as Edmund and Lucy came in the door. "My family and I have come to offer our services to Prince Caspian."

"You've found him," the boy said. "This is Doctor Cornelius, Trufflehunter, and Nickabrik," he said, pointing to the old man, the Badger, and the Dwarf in turn. "Is this your family?" Caspian continued.

I smiled. "Part of it. Two of my siblings were led another way by Trumpkin the Dwarf."

At the name of the Dwarf, the doctor scrutinized my siblings and I. Prince Caspian looked slightly confused.

"Trumpkin was sent to the ruins of Cair Paravel," he said. "Did you meet him on his way there?"

I smiled. "No, Your Highness, we didn't. We were already at the ruins when Trumpkin arrived. He was leading us here, but we ended up splitting up due to a difference in opinions as to which route to take to get here. Trumpkin and my other siblings should be here soon."

The doctor and the Badger exchanged a look before the Animal spoke.

"My lady," he began, sounding excited, "You and your siblings . . . are you the Kings and Queens of the Golden Age?"

I shook my head. "No," I said. The Badger's face fell, and I quickly continued. "At least, I'm not. My siblings, on the other hand . . ." I let the sentence trail off for a moment before I continued.

"Gentlemen, May I introduce, King Edmund the Just," I motioned to Ed, "And Queen Lucy the Valiant?" I motioned to Lucy before smiling at the men in front of me. "And I'm Lady Alexa the Loyal."

Caspian and Cornelius stared openmouthed at Ed and Lu while Trufflehunter did this dance thing that all Badgers did when they were extremely happy. Nickabrik, on the other hand, didn't even try to hide his suspicions.

"How do we know you're telling the truth?" he asked bluntly.

Trufflehunter glared at him, and opened his mouth, but Caspian spoke first.

"Where are the High King and Gentle Queen?" he asked. "There were four rulers in the Golden Age, were there not?"

Edmund spoke up before I could. "There are four of us, yes. As Alexa said, they should be here shortly with Trumpkin."

Caspian nodded, and seemed about to say more, but Nickabrik spoke first.

"Why do we need them? There are other places to get help."

I glared at him.

"Is that why you've brought guests?" The doctor asked as he gestured to the two figures standing in the shadows. "Are you going to introduce them?"

One of the figures spoke, and the moment I heard her voice, I knew it was a hag. No one else seemed to recognize the voice. The second voice spoke a moment later, and his voice was the voice of a werewolf. I motioned to Edmund and Lucy to be ready. They looked at me with a question in their eyes, but did as I asked. The werewolf and the hag took turns speaking, and it quickly became obvious that Nickabrik and his Fell friends wanted to raise the White Witch.

Edmund seemed to come to the same realization at the same time as me, because he turned incredibly pale and unsheathed his sword as he spoke.

"No."

The quiet command gained the attention of everyone. We all looked at Edmund.

"The Witch cannot be allowed to come back. We will not allow this to happen."

I almost backed away from him. He was using a tone of voice that I'd only heard twice. It was this deadly calm voice, coated in ice and utterly devoid of emotion. That tone meant that he was filled with absolute rage, and I knew that even my status as his sister didn't really give me any protection from his wrath.

"No," a new voice said from the doorway, "We won't."

We all turned to see Peter enter the room with his sword in his hand. Susan and Trumpkin were right behind him. I could hear Edmund breathe an almost imperceptible sigh of relief at the sight of his older brother and sister. I took a second to look at Peter critically, just to make sure he was in once piece. Since he looked to be fine, with no major injuries to worry about, I turned my attention back to Nickabrik. Trumpkin stormed past me and went straight to Nickabrik. The two Dwarves exchanged a few heated words, and then began exchanging blows. This seemed to be the signal for the hag and the werewolf to attack. One of them knocked the lantern over, and its light went out. I had my daggers in my hands, ready to fight if I needed to, but I didn't think my involvement was really necessary.

I turned out to be right, as the skirmish ended about a minute after it began, and people began calling out. I took my backpack off and rummaged inside, trying to find my flashlight. I finally found it and switched it on before handing it to Lucy. I rummaged around in my backpack some more, trying to find the matches. After going through almost every pocket, I finally remembered I'd put them in my pants pocket. I quickly made my way over to the lantern as everyone picked themselves up and made sure everyone else was okay. I righted the lantern and carefully lit it. After that, Peter quickly took charge. It made me smile to see him in his element again. He'd always been such a good High King, even if he denied it.

Nickabrik, the hag, and the werewolf had died, and the bodies were quickly disposed of, as the rest of us all trooped out to a different room to eat some lunch. While we ate, we exchanged stories. Turns out that Peter, Susan, and Trumpkin had followed the trail I'd left about an hour after we split up, since Peter couldn't stand the thought of something happening to us without him there to help. They'd met Aslan last night in camp, and he'd scared the poor dwarf as well as my siblings. They'd made good time this morning and arrived at the room just as Edmund announced that the White Witch could not be allowed to come back. Peter had decided his brother needed some backup, so they'd come in. When they'd finished their story, I turned to Trumpkin.

"Thank you, good Dwarf, for bringing them safely here." He nodded and I turned to Susan, raising an eyebrow at her in question. "Peter didn't try to get into trouble, did he?"

She shook her head, smiling at Peter's protests. "No, he was actually rather good."

I turned to Peter, hiding a grin. "Really? I'm impressed."

He glared at me. I took one look at Edmund and Lucy and the three of us burst into laughter. Susan restrained herself to a smile, and a moment later, Peter started laughing too. Caspian, the doctor, Trufflehunter, and Trumpkin looked at us in confusion as our laughter subsided. It took a few minutes for us to stop, but we eventually did, and the conversation turned to other, more serious matters. The biggest worry was Miraz. I could see Edmund and Peter both thinking of various ways to handle the matter. They were brilliant tacticians, and I was confident that they would find a way eventually. The nine of us tossed various ideas back and forth, trying to find a solution, but almost everything was shot down quickly. The only idea that really had any possibility of actually working was storming Miraz's castle. Lucy, Susan, Caspian and I shot that idea down quickly, though.

 _ **Please review!**_

 _ **I don't own Narnia.**_


	5. Chapter 5

It was during a lull in the discussion that a dwarf guard delivered news that a messenger had come for Susan and Lucy. My siblings and I excused ourselves to go see what it was. The messenger was a Faun who was waiting just outside the How. He claimed that Aslan had sent him to ask the Queens to go enjoy the Lion's company. As soon as the Faun mentioned the Lion, I looked toward the forest, scanning the trees for a glimpse of his golden fur. It wasn't hard to spot, although I only caught a quick look at the Lion's face. I looked back at my brothers and had a silent conversation with them. After a moment, Peter nodded his assent. With that, we gave the girls hugs and made sure they were armed, just in case, before sending them off with the Faun.

As soon as the girls were out of sight, my brothers and I headed back inside to brainstorm more ideas. The next few hours were filled with more arguments and discussions, but none of us got any good ideas. Eventually, the discussion was cut short with the arrival of dinner. As we ate, we discussed anything but the threat we'd been attempting to deal with for the past several hours, and once dinner was over, the group dispersed. Peter, Edmund, and I were shown to a room where we could stay. I set most of my stuff down, only keeping a flashlight and the note that Brandon had written, which told me what he'd done to help me where he could. I announced that I was going to wander around, and then left before either of my brothers decided to come with me.

Brandon had written that there was a secret room built into the How that he'd had put there just for me. That's what I was headed to find now. It didn't take me long to find the entrance and open it. I switched my flashlight on and found stairs. Carefully, I descended them. At the end, I found a room. It was mostly empty, but that didn't matter to me, because the walls were covered in murals. Only, these weren't just any murals. These were paintings of my family. One was a portrait of my siblings and I. Another was a family portrait that Brandon and I had had done two months before I left. I wandered around the room, looking at everything, until I found five portraits of my kids and husband. I spent the next couple of hours examining those portraits, trying to memorize what my family looked like.

Brandon was in the first portrait, looking a little older than the last time I'd seen him. His green eyes were still the color of leaves, and his black hair had a couple of tiny gray streaks in it. He was smiling my favorite smile, the one that was filled with absolute love for me.

My oldest son Brandon was in the next portrait, looking exactly like his father. The last time I'd seen my son, he was 19, but he looked like he was about 29 in the painting. He was clad in shining silver armor, with a shield slung over his back and a sword belted at his waist. Susan had knighted him the year before we left for saving her life in a very dangerous, very tricky situation. Sir Jeremy Queensguard was what she'd dubbed him. I'll admit I cried when he told me because I was so proud of him.

The next portrait showed two people instead of just one. My twin daughters, Mariah and Melody were inseparable. They did anything and everything together, although their personalities were complete opposites. Melody was a tomboy, always ready to train with her sword or go rock climbing. She hated her full name and insisted on being called Mel. Mariah, on the other hand, was very much a girly girl. She loved to read as much as I did, and she usually wore dresses. She never looked like she could fight, but she could, just as well as her twin or her older brother. She and Mel always fought together. Mariah usually used a bow, while Mel used a sword or pair of daggers. My beautiful twin daughters looked like they were about 27 in the mural. Mel's black hair was in a braid, while Mariah had hers down. Their blue eyes were bright. Both of them wore purple, but Mel wore a tunic with black pants and boots, and Mariah had on a floor-length dress. Both of them wore silver belts, and Mariah had silver jewelry on as well.

My youngest son James was next. He looked to be about 23, and he wore silver armor like his brother. He had two swords belted in an x on his back. His brown hair was the same color as mine, but he was the only one of my kids to have brown eyes. I found out later that James had been knighted a few years after we left. He was called Sir James Braveheart.

My youngest daughter was in the last portrait. She looked just like I did at 20, with brown hair pulled into a ponytail and bright blue eyes. She wore white pants and gray boots, with a light pink knee-length dress with light green embroidery. She wore a silver chain around her neck, and around that chain hung a golden ring. That ring had been given to me by my father on my thirteenth birthday as my purity ring. On Alexandria's tenth birthday, I'd given it to her, and she'd never taken it off.

Eventually, I dragged myself away from the murals and back to the room where I'd put my stuff. Peter and Edmund were already there, discussing something. I silently put out my bedroll and lay down to go to sleep.

The next morning, I woke up, only to discover that I was tangled together with Peter and Edmund. This was actually a common occurrence for us. When we'd first come to Narnia, none of us had wanted to be alone at night, and so we'd choose a room and all sleep together. Gradually, we began to sleep in our own beds at night, but throughout our lives in Narnia, it wasn't uncommon for one of the servants to find us all tangled together in one bed, even after I got married.

Gently, I untangled myself from my brothers and began to get ready for the day. I ate my own breakfast and made sure to leave food for my brothers, before I went out to find a training area or something. I headed out to the entrance, thinking that maybe the training yard would be outside, but I found something very different from a training area. Miraz's army had arrived. Quickly, I turned and ran back to get my brothers. They were still sleeping when I arrived, but I quickly woke them up and told them what was going on. They rushed around, getting dressed and trying to eat at the same time. I opened the door so we could leave, only to find a Dwarf outside, getting ready to knock. Without waiting for me to speak, the Dwarf informed my brothers and I that Caspian would like us to meet with him in the room where we'd had lunch and supper the previous day. Peter, Edmund, and I wasted no time in heading straight there, where we were promptly informed about what was going on outside. This, of course, led straight to a discussion about what to do about it, which led to more brainstorming. Most of the ideas that were voiced were ideas we'd discussed the previous day. That is, until Caspian got an idea around lunch time. He suggested single combat. This idea was debated back and forth until Edmund finally sighed.

"We don't have any other choice. This is the only idea that could actually work. But who shall fight the tyrant?"

There was silence for a moment, and then Peter spoke up.

"I will."

Ed and I immediately protested, but Peter wouldn't give up. We finally caved and let him have his way. With that decided, Peter and Doctor Cornelius set about writing the challenge while the rest of us waited. Once it was written, we had to decide who would deliver the summons, which turned out to be a ridiculously easy decision. Edmund and I were to go with the Centaur Glenstorm and the Giant Wimbleweather. Edmund and I went to go get ready as everyone else started deciding necessary things like the Marshals of the Lists.

It had been decided that I should dress as Lady Loyal instead of Dame Athaleyah, and so I put on my purple and silver dress with all the appropriate accessories. Underneath the dress I wore some light leather armor, pants, and boots, and of course, I had a dozen knives hidden in various places. I finally emerged from my room to find Edmund just outside the door, in shining silver armor and a red tabard embroidered with a golden lion. Perched on his dark hair was his silver crown. He smiled at me when I came out and offered me his arm so that he could escort me. I took it, and he led me to the entrance of the How, where Peter, Caspian, Glenstorm, and Wimbleweather were waiting. Peter gave Ed and I hugs, and Caspian wished us luck before we set out across no-man's land towards the tyrant who was trying to take over my home.

 _ **I don't own Narnia.**_

 _ **Please review!**_


	6. Chapter 6

Glenstorm was carrying an olive branch as a sign of peace as we traveled to the Telmarine camp. I knew that most soldiers probably would have ignored the branch and attacked us anyway, except that we had a Giant traveling with us. No one wanted to mess with a Giant. Once we reached the camp, it was easy enough to gain an audience with Miraz and his council of generals, nobles, and advisers. Glenstorm and Wimbleweather waited outside the huge tent as Edmund and I went in to deliver the challenge. Ed read the document as I stood there and smiled. Almost as soon as Ed finished, Miraz attempted to persuade me to join him. Apparently, he thought I was just a pretty face, and that a few empty promises of power and wealth would be enough to make me join him. He very quickly realized his mistake as I took his ego down a peg. His every word to me was eagerly met with sarcasm and insults masked in polite language and a smile as Edmund stood next to me, smirking. He eventually gave up trying to convince me that the Telmarines were the winning side, and at that point, a couple of the nobles trapped him into accepting the challenge. The date was set for two days from then. Edmund and I were dismissed after that and led to where Glenstorm and Wimbleweather were waiting. As we left the camp, a few of the soldiers wolf-whistled at me. I ignored them, but one was foolish enough to actually grab my arm as I passed him. I tried to smile and ask him to let me go politely, but the man refused. In a flash, I'd drawn a dagger and pressed it to his stomach. He rapidly let go of me, and I sheathed the knife as I caught up to the others. Ed caught a glimpse of my blade and hid a grin. I rolled my eyes at him. We walked most of the way back to the How in silence, but as we drew near, I spotted Peter waiting for us. To everyone else, he looked perfectly calm, but I knew him, and I could see that he was worried and anxious. This gave me an idea. If we told Peter what Miraz had said, he'd likely spend the next two days practically pacing and worrying about anything and everything. If, however, we told him the news and then distracted him immediately after, he might be a bit better. I leaned over to Edmund and whispered in his ear. He grinned and agreed to my plan just as we reached the How. Peter greeted us with hugs, which we gladly returned, before Ed and I went inside and split up to do a couple things. I headed to find Trumpkin, and Edmund went to find Caspian to inform him of the situation. I found the Dwarf quickly and explained what I needed him to do. He agreed and then went to make a couple of arrangements as I stopped by my room, changed into a tunic, and grabbed my sword. I finished just as Trumpkin did, and together we headed toward the entrance of the How, where Peter was still likely to be. When we arrived, we found that Edmund was there as well. Without a word, Trumpkin motioned for us to follow him as he led us to what turned out to be a small clearing in the woods next to the How. Still without speaking, he turned and left. Unnoticed by Peter, I drew one of my daggers and threw it right by Peter's head. It struck a tree trunk and stuck there, quivering. I drew my sword and I smiled at Peter tauntingly.

"Come, brother. I want to see how out of practice you've gotten."

Peter didn't move. I grinned.

"How long do you think it will take me to beat him, Ed? Ten minutes?"

Edmund grinned and snorted.

"You're being generous, my lady. I think you'll have him beat in four."

Peter glared at us both as he drew his sword and settled his shield on his arm.

"Is this your way of helping let off steam because Miraz declined my challenge?"

I smiled innocently.

"Of course not, my lord! Why would you think I would do that? This is merely my way of making sure you're prepared to face him in single combat."

Peter stood there for a moment, but I didn't give him long to take it in. I charged. Peter blocked me with his shield, and then swiped at me with his blade. I ducked and stabbed at him. We fought for about two minutes, and then he managed to knock my sword out of my hand. I grinned as I drew my twin daggers from Father Christmas.

Edmund cheered.

"Get her, Pete!"

"Yes," I said, grinning, "Try and get me, Peter. The ground's level now, brother. You know you could never beat me when I've got my daggers."

In response, he made a complicated move. I dodged. Edmund cheered for his brother and called out suggestions, which Peter usually took. As soon as I got the chance, I glared at Ed.

"Just you wait," I growled. "You're next."

The cheeky brat grinned at me.

"I can't wait, sister. It's been too long since I beat you."

I did the mature thing and stuck my tongue out at him.

"You never could beat me when I had my daggers, even with your swords."

He was about to reply, but Peter interrupted with a grin.

"Sorry, Alexa, but I think you're memory is skewed. Ed could never beat me, but you and your daggers could never stand up to his dual blades."

I glared at him, and he grinned. I smiled angelically at him and his grin faltered as I used one of my best moves. Peter's shield barely came up in time to deflect it. I grinned slightly evilly at him.

"Come on, Pete, I know you can do better than that! You've yet to use any good moves!"

Edmund's voice cut in.

"He hasn't used any of the moves Oreius taught us past our fifth year in Narnia, much less any of the good ones."

Peter glared at us both.

"You want good moves? Fine. Here are some good moves," he said.

He launched into one of his favorites, a very complicated move that almost no one could defend against, much less beat. Unfortunately for Peter, I was one of the few who could not only beat it, but actually turn it against him. I smiled as I did so. He glared at me and launched into another move, and then another. I beat them all, still smiling at my brother. I waited for the perfect moment to launch into a move of my own. It was one I'd learned while in the other world, and I knew for a fact that Oreius hadn't taught any of us this move. I held back a smirk as I used it and Peter's sword flew out of his hands. While he was still shocked, I moved in, and within 10 seconds of him being disarmed, I had both my knives to his throat.

I grinned. "Dead," I whispered before I let go. I sheathed my blades and went to pick up my sword and the dagger I'd thrown at the tree. I could see both of the boys out of the corner of my eye. The expressions on their faces were priceless. They looked at each other, then at me, flabbergasted. I grinned.

"I learned a few things while I was in the other world," I said.

"Really?" Edmund asked sarcastically. "I never would have guessed." He shook his head, then grinned evilly as he drew his blades.

"Come on, big sister, I want to see if you can pull off beating me."

I smirked at him and drew my daggers. It took me even less time to beat Edmund than it had to beat Peter. I'd learned quite a few moves in our world that no one had ever thought of here in Narnia, and I used them to my advantage. As soon as I was finished thrashing Edmund, Peter begged me to teach him. So I did. It didn't take either of the boys long to pick up some of my favorite Earth moves, and I knew they would help. I showed them how to use their swords in new ways too, having learned a few new moves from the fencing club at college. Finally it was time to go back. We'd already spent a few hours in the clearing, and I knew we needed to sleep so we could plan and prepare for the challenge. My brothers and I headed back to the How, laughing and joking. We got back to our room and ate a little bit before laying down.

When Trumpkin woke us the next morning, the three of us were all tangled together again. Trumpkin was so surprised to see us in one tangled heap of limbs that he made a strange sound. It was loud enough to wake Peter up, which was a good thing, because Trumpkin didn't know just how grumpy Edmund and I could be if we were woken up too early in the morning. And considering that it was dawn, it was definitely too early in the morning. Peter managed to get us up relatively quickly, but that was mainly due to the fact that he had food ready for us. Once we were up, dressed, and moving, we headed to the room that had become our meeting room. Caspian, Doctor Cornelius, Trufflehunter, and Trumpkin were already there. The next few hours were spent trying to figure out important things, like how to discourage anyone from targeting Peter, Edmund, Caspian, or me. After lunch, Ed and I dragged our brother back to the clearing to train some more. That eventually ended with the three of us laying down on the grass and staring at the sky in silence. Edmund eventually broke it with a quiet question.

"Alexa, what was in those scrolls you found in your trunk?"

I was quiet for a moment.

"You two remember Brandon, right? And all of our kids?" I didn't wait for them to answer. I knew they did. "Over the years they all wrote me at least one note. Brandon waited until he and Melia married so that they could both write it. The twins took turns writing me one every year until they died. James wrote me one after every important event in his life. And sweet little Alexandria wrote me one every year on her birthday. Brandon himself wrote me one note every year on the anniversary of that last hunt. Some years he wrote me a few notes on other occasions. He told me all about our kids, and their lives, and how he missed me. He never remarried, and he stayed in Narnia for the rest of his life, although he kept up our visits to Archenland. Our children all married, and according to him, our grand kids were absolutely adorable."

I told them what Brandon had said about my family, and about Narnia. According to my husband, Narnia had been almost the same as it was when we were there. They missed us terribly, and they searched for us, but to no avail. We'd planned for the possibility of none of the five of us being able to rule. If the Four Monarchs couldn't rule for some reason, then I was the next person to assume command, but there was no one after me, so I'd convinced Peter about five years after we'd arrived in Narnia that we needed to have a plan just in case all five of us were unable to make the necessary decisions for ruling Narnia. The solution was to have a council made up of our most trusted advisors and friends, and it seemed that the idea worked rather well for many years. Brandon was on it for several years, and even after he retired, they still came to him for counsel. Oreius was on the council as well, and he remained the General until his middle son was old enough, and had enough experience to take the post, as apparently his eldest son had no interest in being the General. There were several others on the Council, all of whom we trusted to do a good job ruling the country.

I told them most of what I'd read so far. I hadn't had time to read all of the notes, so I couldn't tell them everything, but I told them what I knew. We lay there in silence for several minutes before I stood and held out my hands to help my brothers up. They let me help them up, and then we headed back to the How in silence. It was dinner time, and so we got some food and headed to our room to eat it. I finished first and sat there for a moment before I stood.

 _ **I don't own Narnia.**_

 _ **Please review!**_


	7. Chapter 7

The moment we stepped into the doorway, we were ushered into a chamber for lunch. We ate quickly and then Ed and I helped Peter into his armor. We made sure he had everything he needed, and was as ready as he could be for this duel. Edmund disappeared about half an hour before noon to make sure everyone was in position. I took advantage of the time alone with Peter. As soon as Edmund was gone, I turned to Peter and made him stop pacing to look at me.

"You'll be fine," I told him. "Stop worrying."

"How can I?" he asked tensely. "There are so many things that could go wrong! I don't know what will happen!"

I grabbed his shoulders.

"Stop. Don't do that to yourself, Peter. You know me. I'm not going to let anything happen to your family."

"I don't want anything to happen to you either, Alexa. You're my big sister. I love you. If something were to happen to you, it would hurt me just as much as if something were to happen to Edmund or the girls."

"I know. Trust me, Peter, I know. I love you too. You're my younger brother, and I promise you I'm going to do whatever I can to keep your family alive, while keeping myself alive. I promise, Peter, I'm not aiming to die. Besides," I smiled slightly at my worrywart brother, "It's not like we don't have special protection of our own. Aslan is on our side, and you know He's got a plan. He will protect us."

I could see some of the tension draining out of him, and I smiled.

"Now," I said, "Onto other matters. I want you to beat Miraz. I know you're capable of it. It may have been a thousand years, but you're still the best swordsman I know besides Edmund." Peter smiled a bit at that. "Just remember that you're back to a body that doesn't have the muscle memory you used to have. You're younger than him, and you have a lot more knowledge, I think, but he's got the muscle memory, the reflexes, and the strength. I know you can beat him, though. Remember, you're not in this fight for yourself. You're fighting for Narnia. You're fighting for Aslan. You're fighting to put things right. You're fighting for us. As long as you remember that, you'll do fine."

Peter looked at me searchingly, and then sighed.

"Please don't do anything stupid, Alexa," he said.

"Who, me?" I gave him an innocent look that he saw right through.

I sighed. "Fine. I'll try to resist the urge to throw a dagger at the tyrant."

Peter sighed in relief, and then froze as I raised a hand.

"But if he tries anything unfair or wrong, I will defend you, do you understand me? High King or not, this is one point where my big sister side trumps everything else."

Peter sighed in defeat, but I could see a hint of a smile.

"Fine," he said.

"Well," Edmund said from the doorway, "Now that that's settled, it's time for Lady Loyal to get ready."

I sighed and nodded. I left just as Edmund started his speech, outlining the same things I'd just said. I smiled as I went to change into my outfit.

Ten minutes later, I was arrayed as Lady Alexa the Loyal, in my Narnian dress and my circlet. All of my knives were hidden, and I had my boots and leggings on under the pretty lavender dress. It was a beautiful outfit, with its silver floral embroidery, and the light purple color, but I wanted to be in my armor, arrayed as Dame Natara instead of Lady Alexa. Unfortunately, I had to be the lady instead of the knight. Hopefully all would go according to plan and my presence would throw Miraz and his army off a little. No one would expect a proper lady to be with the incredibly outmatched Narnian army. However, since none of our plans ever went completely the way it was supposed to, I had as much armor as I could get away with under my dress, as well as having my bow and swords hidden nearby. Thank Aslan, this was actually a dress that I had had made to fight in, so it allowed a lot of movement, and I wouldn't be too encumbered by it when we inevitably ended up fighting. As soon as I was ready, I went and sat on the chair that had been provided for me. It was right next to Peter's chair, which was the fanciest one they could find. Edmund would stand next to me, as Sir Balkar instead of the Just King. I had only just gotten settled on my seat when the Kings emerged from the How. Edmund had his armor on, with his helmet under his left arm and his dual swords on his back. Peter was arrayed like his brother, but with his shield on his left arm, his helmet under his right arm, and his sword belted to his waist. Peter sat on his chair – I couldn't call it a throne, not compared to the one he used to sit in at Cair Paravel – while Edmund stood in between us. We only had to wait a few moments before Miraz and his army showed up. Within the next five minutes, the basic rules were laid down, and the High King stepped into the dueling space with the false king. Ed and I watched closely for any signs of foul play, and we cheered Peter on. When both men decided it was high time for a break, Ed and I were ready. We gave Peter some water, and gave him what aid we could, but there wasn't a lot we could do. We didn't have the cordial to heal him, and even if we did have it, Peter wouldn't have let us use it. He was noble like that. It was incredible and admirable, but sometimes it was really annoying. All too soon it was time for Peter to go back in. I gave him a hug and kissed him on the cheek before I whispered something in his ear and let him go. Edmund simply gave him a look that said everything. He and Peter had this connection that allowed them to have a full conversation within seconds simply by looking at each other. It was amazing and really annoying when they used it against me, although sometimes I could read what they were saying and turn it against them. I had a similar connection with both of them, but those two were something special. As Peter walked back into the ring, Edmund and I went back to our places.

"What did you tell him?" Edmund asked me curiously. He said it out of the side of his mouth, just loud enough for me to hear.

"I reminded him that he is not alone," I answered in the same way.

Edmund nodded, and we were silent as we watched the fight. I was silently, fervently praying that Peter would win. And he did. He beat Miraz. What came next was something I almost expected. Peter, being the noble knight he was, gave Caspian the chance to exact revenge on his uncle. The boy chose to let his uncle live, thank Aslan. And then came Miraz trying to kill Peter, and Peter wounding him badly. One of the Telmarine lords called for the army to fight, claiming that the Narnians had disobeyed the rules of conduct, when in reality, the Telmarines had used a Narnian arrow to make it look like we'd cheated. I darted to my weapons and strapped them on. I looked around for Edmund. He'd raced toward his brother, and they were fighting back to back. It made me grin to see them like that once again. I noticed Caspian fighting as well, with three Centaurs around him. I nodded to myself and ran off, satisfied that the boys were all in good hands. I found a good place and climbed until I was tall enough to make my bow useful. I began to shoot, thankful beyond description that I'd joined an archery club. I shot quickly, but accurately, and it took mere minutes for me to run out of arrows. I sighed and set my bow down before I climbed down to join the fight. I fought with my daggers, and it wasn't long before I found myself near the Kings. Edmund noticed me first, and grinned at me. That's all it took for us to fall back into our battle routine. Peter, Edmund, and I had fought together so much that we knew all of each others moves. We knew exactly how the others would fight, and which moves were favorites, and everything else that mattered. Over the years, we started bantering with each other while we fought, trading joking insults, and grins. Sometimes we ended up actually having a serious conversation while we fought, like we did now. Our forces looked shocked for a brief moment at the sight of two Golden Age Kings and their advisor talking about Miraz and Caspian, but then they decided it didn't matter, and they continued fighting. The Telmarines looked scared. They noticed that three teenagers could fight like veterans, and have a conversation while doing it and it scared them. The fighting continued for a few minutes, and then the tide changed. Suddenly, we were no longer being pushed back, and the Telmarines looked terrified. I risked a glance behind us and whooped. The trees were awake once again, and they were helping us! That's all it took for the Telmarines to flee, with our forces chasing them. We pushed them to the river, where we found Lucy, Susan, and Aslan waiting for us with lots of other different people. The bridge had been destroyed, and within two minutes, the Telmarines had surrendered. They were rounded up and taken to the nearest town to be securely kept. Our army was treated to a grand feast, and Caspian's kingship was approved by Aslan himself.

 _ **I don't own Narnia.**_

 _ **Please review!**_


	8. Chapter 8

Over the next couple of weeks, there were a few feasts, Caspian's coronation, and Aslan calling for a gathering of the newly united peoples to happen in two weeks. The Four and I gave Caspian a lot of advice on lots of different things. We made sure it was written down somewhere so that he could later refer to it. We told Caspian he could use whatever was in the treasury at the ruins of Cair Paravel, and he immediately sent people to gather it all. That was in the first few days after the battle, so it was all at his castle (which was originally Miraz's castle) before we left. My brothers, sisters, and I went through our chests and sorted everything. Things that were special to us, things that could be given away, things that could be thrown away or reused, etc. Anything special that we didn't want anyone else to use, Caspian had placed in a vault. He also had all of our Father Christmas gifts and our crowns put in a case for all to see. He said he was going to make it a place where people could come and remember the past. Aslan had told the Pevensies and me that we could take something from our chests back to our world with us. Privately, he told me that anything I put into my backpack could come back with me, so that I could take the scrolls from my family and the jewelry Brandon had left me. Peter and Edmund took their signet rings. Susan took a charm bracelet I'd had made for her for her eighteenth birthday. Every year, her siblings and I had another charm made to add to it. Now it was completely full. Lucy chose a necklace. It had four different pendants on it, one for each of us.

While we were there, Peter, Edmund, and I had taken the opportunity to train. We didn't know when we'd get another chance to spar with each other, and so we took advantage of the time we had. One day, as I was headed inside to bathe after a particularly grueling session, I noticed a man walking into the training yard. What intrigued me was the shield he had on his arm. It was almost identical to the one Peter had received from Father Christmas when we all received those first gifts. The difference was that instead of a red lion on a silver shield, the shield this man carried had a silver lion on a dark blue background. It looked exactly like the one Peter had given me for my 19th birthday. I smiled at the sight of it. As I walked back to my room, I thought about the story Brandon had written in one of his letters to me. A few months after the Kings, Queens, and I disappeared, Brandon had gathered the kids together and told them that they could pick out one item of mine to keep and use, so that they would never forget me. Jeremy, my firstborn, chose to use my shield. He passed it down to his son, who apparently passed it down to his son, and the tradition continued. Mariah, my eldest daughter, chose my charm bracelet, filled with charms to represent my brothers, sisters, parents, husband, and children. Melody, as Mariah's tomboy twin sister, chose to use the daggers I received from Father Christmas. James, my second son, took my twin swords. Like my shield, my double blades imitated Peter's sword, except instead of red and gold, mine were blue and silver. James, like his brother, passed the swords down through his family. And Abigail, my youngest child, chose nothing. She said that she had my ring, and that was enough for her. She imitated her brothers and passed the ring down to her daughter.

One of the last things I did before we left was to write each of my siblings a letter. I wanted them to remember me, and I had some advice to give them. Each letter was personal, dealing with an issue I knew they'd deal with soon. The longest ones were to Peter and Susan, because I knew they were about to get notified that they weren't coming back. I tried my best to give them advice on how to be their Narnian selves in a world that didn't understand that. With Aslan's permission and blessing, I put the letters in the pockets of their washed uniforms. All too soon, the day of the meeting had arrived. Aslan had called for Peter and Susan after breakfast that morning. I figured he was breaking the bad news to them. I wandered around the castle, and eventually found myself in the library. It was tiny and drab, unlike the beautiful and massive library we'd had at Cair Paravel. I stayed in there for awhile, browsing the shelves. Caspian found me there an hour later and informed me that Aslan had requested my presence. I thanked him and went to find the Lion. He was alone, walking through the halls when I caught up to him. Neither of us said anything for a moment, and then I spoke.

"I'm not coming back, am I?"

The golden Lion beside me sighed.

"No, child, you're not. Your time here is done. Your task now is to follow me in your world."

I bowed my head. I'd guessed this was coming. I knew arguing or protesting would be futile, and so I didn't even try. Instead, I rested my hand in the Lion's mane and enjoyed the time I had left with him.

We walked together for a while, talking about different things. I had a couple of questions that I wanted to ask him, and he gave me some advice, and we spent time together. Eventually I realized the time and decided to go find my siblings for lunch. Giving Aslan a huge hug, I excused myself and hurried towards our rooms. I caught them just as they were sitting down in Lucy's room. They apparently had expected me, as there was already a place setting. We chatted and laughed while we ate, relishing in the last time we'd be together for a long time. Finally, we couldn't stall any longer. We raced to our rooms to pack our clothes from the other wold and make sure we were ready. I'd packed the night before, but I double-checked the bag, just in case. My box of scrolls and Memory Book were there, as was most of my favorite jewelry. I'd even packed a pair of my favorite backup daggers. My silver circlet and daggers from Father Christmas were staying, as were all of my Narnian clothes. I planned to take my boots, though. Picking up my backpack, I looked around the room one more time. It wasn't my room from Cair Paravel so many years ago, but it was still Narnian, and I was going to miss it. Stepping into the hallway, I found my younger brothers and sisters waiting for me. Peter saw me first and smiled before offering me his arm. Smiling back, I curtsied and took it, and together, we headed to the gathering that Aslan had called.

Shortly after we took our places next to the empty door frame Aslan had asked to be erected, the meeting began. Aslan announced a new start in a new world for any Telmarine who wanted it. A couple of people volunteered, and then vanished through the door. People became skeptic and cautious, and so Peter volunteered us to go through. Quickly, we ran to where our clothes had been taken and changed. It felt weird, wearing non-Narnian clothes again. They were so uncomfortable compared to what we'd worn for the past few weeks. Proudly, the five of us walked out again to say our last goodbyes. We all gave Caspian hugs, and then said goodbye to Doctor Cornelius and Trumpkin, our DLF. We gave each other hugs, and promises to never forget each other, and then we went to say goodbye to Aslan. We went one at a time, and he spoke a few private words to each of us. Lucy and I gave him hugs as well. When we were done saying goodbye, we lined up to go through the doorway. Just before each person went through, he or she turned and either bowed or curtsied to Aslan, Caspian, and everyone else who was gathered there. As I stood from my best curtsy, I cast one more glance over the beautiful land I loved and the people who inhabited it.

"Goodbye," I whispered, and then I stepped through the doorway. I saw glimpses of the Narnian country behind the doorframe, as well as images of a beautiful beach in my world and an old train station before I saw my dorm room. Only a few minutes had passed since I'd left. I sighed and went to put my stuff away. For the rest of the night, I lounged on my bed, reading the scrolls from my family. Finally, I turned out the light and got ready to sleep.

Just before I closed my eyes, I sent a quick prayer to Aslan, asking that he keep my family safe. And as I dropped off to sleep, I could have sworn I heard a lion's roar.

Over the next several years, I went to college and got a teaching degree. I worked in an elementary school, and I loved it. I had resolved long ago to live as Narnian as I could in everything I did, and so that's what I did. I turned the Narnian Lady Loyal into the American Alexa Smith. In keeping my promise to my husband, I never dated another man, although many men asked me out. I dreamed about my years in Narnia sometimes, but nothing else. I never saw what was happening currently, and I never dreamed of my siblings.

Shortly after returning from Narnia the second time, I told my family about my years there. They didn't believe me at first, but I managed to eventually convince them. My sister, Trinity, loved to hear about my years there. She was constantly asking me for stories or demonstrations of my skill. My parents liked to hear about Narnia as well, although Dad wasn't too happy that I'd married someone he'd never met.

For the next ten years or so, my only connections with Narnia were the things I'd brought back and the stories I told. I didn't know when my next Narnian adventure would be, but I prayed it came soon.

 _ **I don't own Narnia.**_

 _ **I have one more story planned and written. It has yet to be edited, but that will be done soon. I should have it up within two weeks. So if there is no new story up by Dec 11, you may all nag me. Please, nag me, because otherwise I'll forget about it for another 6 months or more. Please review and tell me what you thought of this story!**_


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